Friday, May 5, 2017

Bookish Talks ~12~ 2nd Blogiversary

Hey all! I hope everyone is doing well! *Blogging message in the last few paragraphs*I figured it was time for another bookish talk, as MY BLOG TURNED TWO ON THE 23RD OF APRIL! :D

I can't believe I've been blogging for two whole years, it's incredible! I met all the most amazing people through Just Another Bookish Blog - other bloggers, reviewers, Instagrammers, authors... I become involved a little bit more in the community every day and I absolutely love it. You guys are what makes this special, I'm just a tiny part of it. Thank You Thank You Thank You! Also, I know I haven't been exactly 'active' lately - Real life and university have been drowning me in responsibilities, making it hard to work on my blog. I mean, April 23rd was two weeks ago, and I've only found a bit of time to talk about it now. Usually, people have a whole post dedicated for just their blog birthdays, but I hope you guys don't mind too much if I kind of cram several posts into one long one... it just makes it a lot more manageable for me. Which is why I'm putting it in a bookish talk instead! :D 1. YALFest.NL 2017On my blog birthday, I went to YALFest.nl! This is basically the same as Yallwest back in the US of A, but dutch-style. Sure, I didn't understand everything that was being said during the event, but it was so much fun! :D

The Young Adult Dome group and I had the amazing opportunity to meet and greet with Veronica Rossi, Megan Shepherd, David Arnold, Donna Freitas, Victor Dixen, Gena Showalter, Lesley Livingston, and Amy Ewing! They were all incredibly sweet, open to questions and taking photos and videos, and funny! They had the best anecdotes about writing, reading and everyday life. They were all super nice and signed my books in original ways! In fact, I made a youtube video for the Young Adult Dome about the event! (It's not quite done yet - I'll post a link to it later today ;))While I was there, I met a friend I had made on Instagram - Bookiosaurus! It was 100% unplanned and so much fun! She also has a youtube channel you can get to right here!

There was also a ton of bookish merch going around! (And ARCs, but those were all in Dutch, oops!) I even got a free Dutch copy of Throne of Glass so I can practice the language now.2. Nox To Lumos Candle CoKnowing you guys, I'm sure you will absolutely love Nox To Lumos Candle Co. I mentioned the company a few times, but now I'd really like to make an appreciation post. Jessie, the owner, is an incredibly sweet and creative person. She created so many unique candles and also allows you to create your own custom ones based on what you like! And each and every one of them smells incredible! As a rep, I've been getting boxes of candles periodically, and every time it feels like Christmas! Here's a breakdown of what I've received so far, as well as my ratings. Of course, candle ratings are incredibly personal, as everyone likes different scents and types of smells. Caraval - Rose and Vanilla (Magic) - 3/5 - The rose smell is beautiful but quite strong, flowers have never been my favorite scent :') Nice balance with the vanilla though! The Bone Witch - Black Currant, Tea, and Parchment - 4/5 - This smells subtle and fruity and homely, but also quite distinct. Really like this one! Rowan - Pine and Snow Vanilla - 5/5 - This is like walking into a comfortable hug every time you walk into the room - I absolutely love this one! Queen of Hearts - Pumpkin Spice Cake - ? - I love the smell of this, it smells like dessert! But I'll never be able to burn it because the one thing my mom hates is pumpkin spice! ^-^ The Night Court - Honeysuckle Jasmine, Sea Breeze and Orange - 4/5 - this one is a lot like the Bone Witch candle, but with its own twist that I quite like! Flowers are not too overpowering but it's a comfortable candle overallExperiment 626 - Coconut Cake - ? - I haven't had the chance to burn this one yet, but at first smell, it seems amazing! I created this one with Jessie and we had so much fun doing so! It is based on Stitch, of course, ^-^ Jem - Sheet Music, Milk, and Honey - 5/5 - I cannot get over this candle! It's so Jem, incredibly subtle yet warm and comforting. I swear, I could have this burning all day! LA Institute - demon stench, ocean breeze, driftwood, lilac, and embers - ? - I received this one recently so haven't had the chance to burn it yet, but I love the unburnt smell of it!! The Last Crochan Queen - Elderberry, black tea, velvetier and violets - 5/5 - This is a kind of fruity candle that I love! It's absolutely amazing for any of you who love berries! Der Erlkoning - Velvetier, Violets, and leather - ? - Haven't gotten around to this one yet either but When I opened it, it smelled like Neverland to me! ^-^ My bookish Corner - Parchment, Rain, Tea and Vanilla - 5/5 - I created this one! And there's still one in the shop if you'd like one! :D This is a very subtle and comfortable candle, I absolutely love how it turned out! Plus it's white and purple like my blog! If you are interested in any of these, the shop can be reached by clicking here! 3. The Paper Charm ShopAnother shop I've been repping for is The Paper Charm Shop! This is a super cute shop that makes magnetic and normal bookmarks. All of the designs are drawn completely by hand, and are stunning and adorable! She also makes themed monthly boxes, and you can choose a bookish theme or a Manga theme! A few weeks ago, she was kind enough to send me a Harry Potter themed envelope full of adorable bookmarks that I have proudly added to my HP shelf! :D Please take the time to check out her work, it's truly incredible! Click here to get to her little shop :)

4. May TBRConsidering how much uni work I have, this TBR should be illegal. In fact I'm not even sure I'll be able to get through everything in time, we'll see how it goes! - Clockwork Prince, by Cassandra Clare- Clockwork Princess, by Cassandra Clare- City of Fallen Angels, by Cassandra Clare- City of Lost Souls, by Cassandra Clare- City of Heavenly Fire, by Cassandra Clare - The Bone Witch, by Rin Chupeco- Girl on the Verge, by Pintip Dunn (ARC tour) - A Court of Wings and Ruin, by Sarah J Maas.........How? All of these books are huge! But they're all books I had said I could read in/by May... Wish me luck... To be honest, if I can get through like 4 of these I'll be happy, hahah ^-^"5. Harry Potter Studios & London Last weekend, I was able to go to the Harry Potter studios, in London! Oh my goodness this was so amazing!!

Everything was there and it was so real and detailed and simply magical and amazing! If you ever get the chance to go, it's a must-see in London!! I was also super happy to find Blackfriars Bridge - My favorite character's (Jem's) favorite spot! It was so cool to be there!!

Why yes, I am reading Clockwork Angel in this picture, hahah! We did so many bookish things in that weekend, but also explored the entire city, which I loved! We even found Baker Street and an M&M shop! xD

6. Uni Life and hitting walls So this part might be a little more serious... I'm in my third year of uni. I'm concentrating on chemistry in a Liberal Arts and Sciences degree, and in a Science Program, which is getting increasingly difficult. I'm a blogger both for myself and for a group at our local bookstore. I co-chair the charity committee with a friend, have driving lessons, lab hours, books to read, and other smaller life responsibilities. It's a lot. Really. The stress I've been under is sometimes crushing, and sometimes things seem to fall apart - I will be doing better in some areas, such as socially or with my reading, but then my grades go down. When I manage to get my grades back up, it's only if I put aside, well, practically everything but school, which simply isn't healthy. I need to find a steady balance again. I'm saying this because I'm probably going to take one step back from Just Another Bookish Blog for a while. There's no way I'm stopping - This is a big part of my life now - but I won't be as quick when it comes to posting, replying to comments, reviewing, or checking out your pages. I'll also be less active on Instagram; I might not post daily anymore, or organize huge, complicated shoutouts or games. I do have a giveaway coming up, but that's for my bloggaversary and my 5k-reaching. But in general, I really need to take a step back and focus on things like school and my family and friends, (as well as that massive TBR I promised to finish... that might not get done either tbh). I will still be doing fast-and-easy things like updating my Goodreads every few days and such, but until the end of June, I really need to focus on myself and on my studies. If you read all of this, thanks for taking the time! I know it was a lot but eh, I had a lot I wanted to say! ^-^ I hope you guys are having a wonderful day, wherever you are! Stay bookish <3

6 comments:

Ahhhh, Happy Blogging Anniversary! It's crazy how fast the years go, right? It's amazing how much you've been able to accomplish! I'm so happy for you ^.^Oh my gosh, the Harry Potter Studios looks AMAZING. You're so lucky! And Blackfriar's Bridge! I've been there once before a few summers ago, and the moment I stepped onto it, my first thought was of Jem and Tessa. I absolutely love how you brought Clockwork Angel to read on Blackfrair's Bridge...ALL THE FEELS.I totally understand the complexity of juggling uni life, social life, and books. It's a difficult thing to accomplish, and resulted in my own lack of presence for a few months. But it's better to slow down on some aspects then to completely exhaust yourself! Take the time you need to get everything back together :). Best of luck on your studies!

Thank you Erika! <3Yes the years go incredibly fast, but I'm so glad that I met people like you through the years! Blogging buddies are the absolute best! If you ever go to England PLEASE visit the studios! They are amazing, a Harry Potter dream come true! And yesss the bridge brought so many feels, I must say I was reading Clockwork Princess yesterday and started sobbing again, it'll all be in a review coming soon. Thanks for understanding :) I'll still be active-ish because my job required reading (not that I'm complaining haha) but I just won't be /as/ active!

Ah yes, the terrible balance of life. I completely understand where you're coming from. I'm also in university at the moment and it's been quite the struggle to stay abreast of all of the books I've been accepting for review and books I just want to read. I even preordered a copy of ACOWAR (which I NEVER do) and I wanted just one day with nothing else to do so I could read it all the way through. Unfortunately that day ended up busier than I thought so I've only gotten through half of the book so far which makes me so sad. Your sanity and life goals are the most important things in life so take some time for yourself and just relax :) Best of luck!

Oh I also have a lot of ARCs to get through by a certain deadline, the beautiful struggles of being a blogger!! University is hard with such a big hobby on the side, so sometimes finding a balance is needed.

Congrats Caroline! It's amazing that our blogiveraries are around the same time! And it's amazing how much you've accomplished in the last two years, well done :) And I've been to th Harry Potter studios, arent they awesome?!?

Summer is around the corner, and I've just finished my final year of college so I know and understand the struggle of finding a balance, but if I can do it, so can you!

Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this post! Any and all comments make me smile, and I will reply to all of them! I can reply in English, French, and sometimes in Dutch and German. Have an absolutely fabulous day! <3